The season follows Johnny Lawerence thirty three years after his loss to Daniel LaRusso, as he reopens the Cobra Kai dojo and reignites his rivalry with Daniel. The season also follows the lives of Johnny's star student Miguel Diaz as well as his son Robby.
There were six starring roles throughout the season which also featured guest actors returning to the franchise portraying characters from the films. The season received universal acclaim for the performances (particularly those of Macchio, Zabka, and Maridueña), action sequences, and faithfulness to the original films.
Thirty-three years after losing to Daniel LaRusso in the 1984 All-Valley Tournament, Johnny Lawrence struggles to make a living as a handyman and gets fired from his job after an argument with a customer while Daniel and his wife Amanda run a successful car dealership chain. Johnny saves his teenage neighbor Miguel Diaz from a group of bullies but is arrested for assaulting them. Miguel implores Johnny to teach him karate but Johnny initially refuses. Johnny is then visited by his wealthy stepfather Sid Weinberg, who gives Johnny a check before officially disowning him. After Johnny's car is wrecked in a hit-and-run, the car is towed to one of Daniel's dealerships for repairs. The next day, he goes to the dealership to take the car back, only to run into Daniel, reluctantly accepting a free car repair from Daniel, who considers him an old friend. There, Johnny realizes to his dismay that Daniel's daughter Samantha "Sam" LaRusso was one of the passengers in the hit-and-run of Johnny's car. He eventually agrees to become Miguel's sensei and opens his own Cobra Kai dojo with the money from Sid.
2
2
"Strike First"
Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Miguel begins his karate training with Johnny, who teases him for his asthma and low self-esteem as motivation. The health department informs Johnny that the dojo needs a lot of work before he can officially teach students. Daniel learns Sam is romantically interested in a boy named Kyler and offers to invite him to a family dinner. At school, Miguel befriends social outcasts, Demetri and Eli, and develops an immediate crush on Sam. The boys also discover that Kyler is one of the bullies who attacked Miguel. Johnny is informed that his son, Robby Keene, has been caught with drugs at school. During dinner, Daniel notices Kyler's bruises and learns he received his injuries from Johnny. Daniel goes to the dojo to confront Johnny, who explains that Kyler and his friends attacked Miguel, leaving Daniel suspicious and concerned for Sam.
Johnny fails to recruit more students to the dojo, and Daniel decides to chaperone Sam to the school Halloween dance, embarrassing her when he catches her and Kyler alone in a suggestive scene. Miguel's karate training progresses as Johnny encourages him to use the Cobra Kai creed of "Strike first. Strike hard. No mercy" in his everyday life and gives him a skeleton costume (the same one Johnny wore in 1984) for the dance, where Miguel overhears Kyler and his friends sexually objectifying Sam. Remembering his training, he attacks Kyler but is overpowered and severely beaten by the bullies. Johnny, who has been at the school handing out flyers for Cobra Kai, finds Miguel in the bathroom.
4
4
"Cobra Kai Never Dies"
Jennifer Celotta
Teleplay by : Jason Belleville Story by : Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
After stealing a laptop from a customer as part of his routine, Robby learns of the new Cobra Kai dojo and is embarrassed by his father's recruitment methods. Johnny gets drunk due to being depressed about Carmen forbidding him from training Miguel due to the aftermath of the Halloween fight with Kyler's gang and vandalizes a LaRusso Auto billboard, while Sam is horrified when she witnesses Kyler bullying Miguel, Demetri and Eli. Kyler aggressively attempts to sexually harass Sam at a movie theater, but she fends him off and storms out of the movie theater, ending their relationship. Johnny confronts Robby after learning he has been skipping school. Robby rebuffs Johnny by adamantly refusing to go back to school and angrily pointing out that Johnny abandoned him for 16 years and that Johnny's own life is wasted. Johnny tracks down a resentful Shannon at a local bar but she angrily rejects him, telling him that there are no do-overs in life. Vowing not to fail Miguel the way he failed his son and Shannon, Johnny pleads for Miguel's mom Carmen to let him continue Miguel's training. Daniel discovers that Johnny was the one who vandalized the LaRusso Auto billboard.
5
5
"Counterbalance"
Josh Heald
Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Miguel shows improvement in both his karate skills and his health. Daniel tries to make a shady deal that could shut down Cobra Kai but hurts innocent business owners in the process. Sam's classmate and former friend Aisha Robinson joins Cobra Kai, despite Johnny's initial misgivings about training girls. Sam discovers that Kyler has been spreading nasty rumors about her. When Kyler embarrasses Sam and makes her an outcast at school with Yasmine, Moon and Aisha refusing to let her talk to them or sit with them at lunch, Miguel stands up for her and successfully defeats Kyler and his friends, gaining Sam's respect. Robby decides to reconcile with his father but witnesses Johnny bonding with Miguel, feeling disowned and replaced. Amanda notices the changes in Daniel's behavior since the reopening of Cobra Kai, leading Daniel to visit Mr. Miyagi's grave to reflect and ask for wisdom. As Daniel prepares to drive away, he suddenly recalls Miyagi after he gifted Daniel his yellow 1948 Ford Super De Luxe convertible on his 18th birthday, reminding him that the lessons on maintaining balance didn't just apply to karate, but to one's entire life. Robby applies for a job at LaRusso Auto to get back at his father and Daniel returns to practicing karate to regain balance in his life. Note: This episode is dedicated in memory of Noriyuki "Pat" Morita.
6
6
"Quiver"
Josh Heald
Teleplay by : Joe Piarulli & Luan Thomas Story by : Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg & Joe Piarulli & Luan Thomas
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Daniel attempts to persuade Sam to take up karate again, but is unsuccessful. The footage of Miguel's fight at school goes viral, bringing many new students to the Cobra Kai dojo, but Johnny cannot suppress his old ways and especially embarrasses Eli in front of the entire class for his cleft lip and causes Demetri to quit on his first day as he is unable to accept Johnny’s abrasive personality. Thanks to Miguel, Johnny is forced to remember his childhood as an outcast with an uncaring stepfather before he discovered Cobra Kai. Johnny admits that he has been tough and cruel to his remaining students, but plans to continue his ways, telling them that life is not fair and they must overcome the challenges that life will throw at them. Eli returns to the dojo with a distinctive mohawk haircut, for which Johnny nicknames him "Hawk". Robby gets a job at LaRusso Auto to get back at his father, as Miguel and Sam slowly develop a friendship at school. Robby decides to learn karate under Daniel's tutelage after Louie's antics inadvertently lead to him visiting Daniel's house.
Teleplay by : Stacey Harman Story by : Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg & Stacey Harman
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Johnny uses painful methods to train his new students. Getting advice from Johnny, Miguel asks Sam out on a successful date. Johnny tries to enter Cobra Kai in the All Valley Karate Tournament only to learn the dojo is permanently banned due to the transgressions and poor sportsmanship committed in the 1985 All-Valley Tournament by Kreese, Terry Silver, and Mike Barnes. At a meeting of the athletic committee, Johnny tries to persuade them to reverse the ban but is opposed by Daniel, a committee member. As his closing argument, he tells the committee that his teachings are different from those of Kreese and Silver, claiming that he has learned from his past mistakes and that his dojo is now a place where people are taught self-confidence and how to stand up for themselves. The committee is convinced by Johnny's apparent sincerity and allows Cobra Kai to compete, much to Daniel's dismay. Despite initially agreeing to help his gang sneak inside the dealership at night, Robby turns against them and stops them using his karate skills and a security camera.
8
8
"Molting"
Steve Pink
Teleplay by : Michael Jonathan Smith Story by : Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg & Michael Jonathan Smith
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
After being allowed to compete in the tournament, Johnny introduces additional training and unconventional methods. The LaRussos learn that Cobra Kai will compete, with only Sam being convinced Cobra Kai has changed (due to her romance with Miguel). Daniel's cousin Louie decides to take action against Johnny, who warns Miguel about Sam and the LaRusso family, telling him the real narration of how Daniel involved himself with Johnny's ex-girlfriend Ali Mills Schwarber in 1984 and how Daniel defeated Johnny in the 1984 All-Valley Tournament. Carmen invites Johnny to dinner, where he learns more about Miguel's family and is inspired to clean up his life, severing ties with Sid after paying off the money he borrowed and attempting to make amends with Robby. Daniel continues bonding with Robby, who hides his parentage and his initial intention for revenge against his estranged father Johnny from Daniel and joins the LaRussos for dinner. At the LaRusso house, Miguel sees Sam and Robby bonding, leaving him heartbroken. Meanwhile, Louie and his thugs destroy Johnny's car by setting it on fire in retaliation for Johnny vandalizing the LaRusso Auto billboard, and Johnny furiously retaliates by beating them up and forcing Louie to reveal Daniel's address. Johnny then rides away on one of the bikers' motorcycles to confront Daniel.
9
9
"Different but Same"
Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Teleplay by : Jason Belleville Story by : Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg & Jason Belleville
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Johnny arrives at the LaRusso house and has a brief confrontation with Daniel before Amanda defuses the situation by inviting Johnny over for breakfast. Daniel decides to fire Louie and compensate Johnny with a car in the dealership's trade-in lot. Unexpectedly, Daniel and Johnny bond during the test drive, enjoying the music of REO Speedwagon together, visiting Daniel's old apartment, and sharing about their lives before they met in 1984 and competed against each other in the final match of the 1984 All-Valley Tournament. Sam is grounded after Amanda learns she was involved in Johnny's hit-and-run, causing her to miss many calls from Miguel due to Amanda confiscating her phone as punishment for hiding the information about the hit-and-run accident. At the party, Aisha attacks Yasmine, one of the rich girls and her bully, by giving her a front wedgie in retaliation for her cyber-bullying as Robby breaks Sam out of her home for the party, but a drunk Miguel tries to pick a fight with Robby and accidentally hits Sam instead, convincing her that her father was right about Cobra Kai and causing her to break up with Miguel. Johnny drives Daniel home where he finds Robby. Furious that his son has been secretly learning Miyagi-Do Karate from Daniel, Johnny attacks Daniel by shoving him against the wall and breaking one of his All-Valley trophies while Daniel is simultaneously shocked and horrified to learn that Robby is Johnny's son after Robby defends Daniel and tells his father Johnny to back off. Feeling betrayed by Robby's dishonesty, Daniel furiously fires Robby and banishes him from his home.
10
10
"Mercy"
Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
Josh Heald & Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg
May 2, 2018 (2018-05-02)
Cobra Kai returns to the 50th Anniversary All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship led by Miguel. Robby also participates, unaffiliated with any dojo. Miguel and Hawk advance to the semifinals, while Aisha is depressed after she is eliminated in the quarterfinals by Xander Stone, but she and Sam reconcile after Sam apologizes to Aisha for her former association with Yasmine. Hawk is disqualified for dislocating Robby's left shoulder with a kick from behind. After arguing with Miguel, Sam leaves the tournament and returns to the family dojo where she seemingly gets back to practicing karate. After Robby apologizes to Daniel for hiding the fact that he is Johnny's son, Daniel reconciles with Robby and assists Robby back into the ring, now as his sensei, but Miguel exploits Robby's injured shoulder to win the final match, as Johnny realizes that his methods have corrupted Miguel. After the match, Daniel takes Robby to Mr. Miyagi's old home and reveals that he plans to use it as a dojo to continue Robby's training and teach others Miyagi-Do karate. At the Cobra Kai dojo, a drunk and miserable Johnny is confronted by Kreese, who praises him for resurrecting Cobra Kai.
Reception
The first season had a positive response from critics. At the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 100% approval rating, with an average score of 7.54 out of 10 based on 48 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "Cobra Kai continues the Karate Kid franchise with a blend of pleasantly corny nostalgia and teen angst, elevated by a cast of well-written characters".[2]Cobra Kai was 2018's best-reviewed TV drama on Rotten Tomatoes.[3]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the season a score of 72 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]
The first episode, which was posted on YouTube for free along with episode two, had been viewed 5.4 million times within the first 24 hours.[5] While it was noted that the response had been, in part, a result of YouTube releasing the episode for free, it was noted by Cinema Blend's Britt Lawrence that "YouTube Red's new series debuted to numbers that should make rival streaming services take notice".[6]
Principal photography for the first season began in October 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. Filming took place at various locations throughout that month at places including Union City, Marietta, and the Briarcliff Campus of Emory University.[15] In November, shooting moved to locales such as the North Atlanta Soccer Association Tophat fields in East Cobb.[16] In December, the production was working out of Marietta and Conyers.[17] Various exterior shots were also filmed in parts of Los Angeles such as Tarzana and Encino.[18] Exterior locations included Golf N' Stuff in Norwalk and the South Seas Apartments in Reseda, both of which were originally featured in The Karate Kid.[19]
On April 25, YouTube partnered with Fathom Events for special screenings of the first two episodes of the season at around 700 movie theaters across the United States. The event also included a screening of the original film.[21][22]
Madison Gate Records released the official soundtrack on May 4, 2018.[23] La-La Land Records released the physical version of the soundtrack with additional tracks in June.[24] The soundtrack CD was released in Australia on January 8, 2019.[25]
Track listing
All music is composed by Leo Birenberg and Zach Robinson
